Although Japan's talent for industrial innovation has lost some of its luster in recent years, Japanese products remain the envy of the world, and a new series, "Monozukuri Nihon no Kiseki" ("The Miracle of Japanese Manufacturing"), takes in a wide range of design to prove it — so wide, in fact, that the series will be aired over five nights (TBS, Mon.-Thurs. 10:54 p.m., Sat. 9 p.m.).

Using a variety show format hosted by popular TBS announcer Shinichiro Azumi, the series focuses on a separate area of product design every night. On Monday, it's lifestyle products, from home electronics to furniture. Tuesday night is given over to washoku, or Japanese cuisine, in all its permutations. Automobiles is the subject on Wednesday night, and fashion takes the spotlight on Thursday, with a special focus on Japanese textiles. Then, on Saturday, there will be a discussion of "What is true value to Japanese people?"

Now that veteran emcee Tamori is no longer tied to his daily Fuji TV variety show, he's free to get out of Tokyo once in a while, so NHK will revive his neighborhood exploration series, "Buratamori" ("Wandering Tamori"), in April and allow him to visit places other than Tokyo. On Friday at 10 p.m., the network will rerun a special that aired in January about Kyoto but with new scenes.